First XI Match Report (h) Clontarf – Alan Murray T20 North Group

Your correspondent left work at 4.30 aiming to have enough time to relax at Phoenix before what he thought would be a 6.00 start. When people learned that the start time was 6.30 they may have felt the relaxation was overdone. After three defeats at Castle Avenue this season Phoenix were looking for revenge. The selectors called on Vish Vaidyanathan and Tyler Balogh to replace the absent Riaan Jeggels and Thomas Anders. Captain Conor Kelly won the toss and chose to bat first. The batting order was Vish Vaidyanathan, wicket keeper Syed Ali, Duminsany Magala, Captain Conor Kelly, Corie Dickeson, M D Masud Ahmed, Andrew Leonard, Bramen Adams, Sadaf Raza, Tyler Balogh, Steve Davis.

Vaidyanathan and Ali got off to a slow start with 9 runs off the first three overs with Van der Merwe and Morrissey sharing the new ball for Clontarf. However, the score jumped to 40 after 6 overs with two sixes for Vaidyanathan and two fours for Ali. Ali was first out for 17 and Vaidyanathan was next out for 19. Magala made just 1 but Kelly was in good form and he ended on 31 from 22 balls. Dickeson , Masud, Leonard and Adams kept the scoreboard ticking along with 8, 3, 5 and 12 respectively and your correspondent struggled to keep up with the detail required to record the fall of wickets.

However, the reassuring and dutiful presence of Helen Caird with the Ipad meant that Phoenix were doubly represented on the scoring front and the visiting scorer was outnumbered. Colonel Sadaf Raza produced some big hits in a cameo 23. Tyler Balogh made a brief 5 and Adams and Davis ended undefeated on 12 and 1. The innings closed on 145 for 9 with Clontarf using seven bowlers only one of whom failed to take a wicket.

Bill Coghlan and Zander van der Merwe both fell early to Balogh to make it 8 for 2 but Clontarf looked to be bossing it in the rain as a long partnership developed between Morrissey and Eoghan Delany. Adams and Masud Ahmed took the middle overs but it was Steve Davis who was the main man for Phoenix with two wickets after breaking the stand of 102 by running out Morrissey. The Clontarf middle order were unable to capitalise on the foundation laid and Phoenix finished deservedly on top by 8 runs.

Man of the Match: A good team effort by Phoenix with different contributors with bat and ball

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